In 1773, the Marquis Perusse des Cars made great efforts in trying to settle the Acadians in the Poitou region of France. Through his efforts the Acadian families who settled in Archigny (Vienna)received a farm, animals and 42.5 acres of land to clear and/or cultivate.
By 1776, there remained only 136 Acadians in Poitou representing some dozen family surnames in approximately twenty-eight homes.
Following the French Revolution,suddenly the Acadians were land owners and were allowed to sell these lands and move on to better situations. The Acadians did so and in so doing they were now found in a variety of locations other than this colony.
Built out of stone, thirty-eight Acadian houses still stand in Archigny. One of them has become an Acadian Museum.
Operated by the Acadian Cousins of Poitou, the museum is located at "La Ligne Acadienne" and contains household items of that time.
For anyone visiting the region, it is located at located at Archigny, 18 miles northeast of Poitiers and 13 miles southeast of Châtellerault.
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Click here for the PDF of the Poitou Census for December 1797